“Autumn Overhaul” for your wardrobe
Now is the perfect time to give your wardrobe an “Autumn Overhaul”!
It can be daunting to do, but super satisfying once you have, and will leave you feeling cleansed, and your wardrobe looking fabulously organised. You will be clear about what you need when you next go shopping and have room to put it away when you get home! So here is our 10 step guide to giving your wardrobe a makeover:
1. Set aside half a day. If you can’t spare half a day, set aside an hour at an allocated time and do one section of your wardrobe at a time e.g. trousers one day, skirts the next.
2. Take everything out of your wardrobe and put it on your bed (or a spare rail if you have one). Clean out the bottom of your wardrobe whilst it’s clear!
3. Item by item, go through and ask yourself:
- Do I like this and feel good in it?
- Does it fit me?
- Does it suit my lifestyle?
- Is it a flattering shape and colour on me?
- Do I have the right thing to wear it with?
- Is it clean and in a good state of repair?
4. If you can answer yes to all the above questions then put it back in the wardrobe.
5. If you can’t, then put it in one of the following piles:
- Going – this is for the things that you don’t feel good in, are worn out, tired or dated, things that don’t fit you, or your lifestyle.
- To do – this is for things that need alterations, repairs, de-pilling, cleaning or washing
- Storing – If there’s anything you really love and holds fond memories then store it in a “memory box” – this should be a very limited amount of items, and stored somewhere other than in your wardrobe. Things that don’t fit, but you’re losing weight and would love to wear again, can also be stored and revisited in 6 months or a year, and then if it still doesn’t fit, get rid of it.
- Not sure – go through this pile and analyse each item. Is the shape wrong? Could it be altered? Could you wear it with a belt or something underneath or over the top? Shorten it? Dye it? Wear it more casually or more formally? Put some different shoes/boots with it? If you love it but don’t have the right thing to wear it with, start a shopping list of what you need.
6. The aim is only to be left with things in your wardrobe that are wearable and suitable for now. It’s amazing how we hang on to things that we don’t particularly like, or know we’ll never wear, and a lot of guilt to go with it! The exciting part is that you may rediscover things you’ve forgotten about, and by taking a realistic view of things, you can easily see where the gaps are.
7. Don’t give yourself a hard time about items that you haven’t worn. There was obviously some reason for it, so either recoup some of the money by selling it or make yourself feel good by giving it to someone who will really love and cherish it.
8. Once you have done this it’s time to identify the gaps. Think about your lifestyle and look at the items you have for each part of it –
- Are they in proportion?
- If you have a very active social life, do you have lots of dresses and separates that can be dressed up?
- If you are a mum at home, do you have casual, practical clothes that you love and feel good in? If you spend most of your time at work, do you have clothes that you feel successful and smart in?
If the answer is no, then make it a priority when you next shop, that this is the area you’ll concentrate on.
9. When you put everything back try and keep it organised. If you need to invest in decent hangers, shoe trees, drawer organisers, storage for ties/belts/tights etc to make it easier to keep tidy and so you are able to find things easily. (We can come with suggestions if you like).
10. If you have begun to think of new outfits you could put together, then set your camera on self timer and take a photograph of yourself in the outfit so you can remember what it was! Alternatively, lay it all out on the floor together in its outfit and take a “still life” shot of it.
Congratulations! You will feel clear headed and it will be a joy to go to your wardrobe now. When you’re ready to hit the shops you will now have a concise list of what you need so you won’t be wasting any more money on spontaneous and unnecessary purchases.
If you really feel unable to tackle this on your own, then give cushion the impact a call as we know some wonderful people who can help whether you are young or old, male or female, love shopping or hate it, smart casual or street smart!
